AbstractBackgroundIdentification of genes or even nucleotides that are responsible for quantitative and adaptive trait variation is a difficult task due to the complex interdependence between a large number of genetic and environmental factors. The polymorphism of the mitogenome is one of the factors that can contribute to quantitative trait variation. However, the effects of the mitogenome have not been comprehensively studied, since large numbers of mitogenome sequences and recorded phenotypes are required to reach the adequate power of analysis. Current research in our group focuses on acquiring the necessary mitochondria sequence information and analysing its influence on the phenotype of a quantitative trait. To facilitate these tasks we have produced software for processing pedigrees that is optimised for maternal lineage analysis.ResultsWe present MaGelLAn 1.0 (maternal genealogy lineage analyser), a suite of four Python scripts (modules) that is designed to facilitate the analysis of the impact of mitogenome polymorphism on quantitative trait variation by combining molecular and pedigree information. MaGelLAn 1.0 is primarily used to: (1) optimise the sampling strategy for molecular analyses; (2) identify and correct pedigree inconsistencies; and (3) identify maternal lineages and assign the corresponding mitogenome sequences to all individuals in the pedigree, this information being used as input to any of the standard software for quantitative genetic (association) analysis. In addition, MaGelLAn 1.0 allows computing the mitogenome (maternal) effective population sizes and probability of mitogenome (maternal) identity that are useful for conservation management of small populations.ConclusionsMaGelLAn is the first tool for pedigree analysis that focuses on quantitative genetic analyses of mitogenome data. It is conceived with the purpose to significantly reduce the effort in handling and preparing large pedigrees for processing the information linked to maternal lines. The software source code, along with the manual and the example files can be downloaded at http://lissp.irb.hr/software/magellan-1-0/ and https://github.com/sristov/magellan.

This research is reporting on the pre-adoption of Strategic Scanning (S.Scan) information systems (IS). More specifically, it relates to the pre-adoption phase, that is, the emergence of the idea of such a system and the evaluation of its need for the organization, upstream of any technological consideration. The research question is the following: what are the drivers and barriers that influence the pre-adoption of a S.Scan IS? The objective of this research is to extend knowledge on a subject that has received little attention from the scholars. Research's originality relies on the use of isomorphic processes from neo-institutional framework to study pre-adoption in the field of S.Scan. On the basis of a multi-method research combining qualitative and quantitative exploratory studies in the specific field of sustainable supply chains (SSC), our results highlight 31 drivers and barriers to pre-adoption of S.Scan IS, ten of which have not been identified before, and five types of pressures. They therefore suggest that pre-adoption of S.Scan IS can be subject to both functional and institutional pressures. It can be driven either by competitiveness or conformism pressures, and hindered by performance objectives or lack of coercive pressures. Finally, these results put a question mark about the understanding of the strategic dimension of S.Scan IS by organisations, and the government's role and its responsibility for promoting SSC initiatives and for the adoption of S.Scan IS on this issue.

This is a lecture given by a researcher who spent his life watching companies. In my investigation, all the interviewed participate in the scientific debate and the questions worked are questions that matter them. I tried to understand how a factory, a workshop, an office, is able to survive and grow. Factories survival is linked to the mastering of the techniques and the economy and human and management. I observed successes and collapses. Success, I looked for explanatory laws, failures often let me in disarray. I saw how many executives and managers do not know what to do when everything goes wrong. So my lecture aims to fill a gap in the teaching of business schools who teach to manage for the benefit of corporate profitability, but do not teach managers how to protect themselves and others from the decisions they make. The first point attempts to show how the decision requires the autonomy of the manager. The second point shows that the decision comes when management knowledge is unable to cope with situation. The third point shows that in cases of management failures, managers are more likely to take bad decisions and get out of their own morality. Finally, the paper ends with a plea for managers to use all the freedom of action they have.

We describe an exploratory study on the use of markers set during a synchronous collaborative interaction (reflection-in-action) for later construction of reflection reports upon the collaboration that occurred (reflection-on-action). During two sessions, pairs of students used the Visu videoconferencing tool for synchronous interaction and marker setting (positive, negative or free) and then individual report building on the interaction (using markers or not). A quantitative descriptive analysis was conducted on the markers put in action, on their use to reflect on action and on the reflection categories of the sentences in these reports. Results show that the students (1) used the markers equally as a note-taking and reflection means during the interaction, (2) used mainly positive markers both to reflect in and on action; (3) paid more attention in identifying what worked in their interaction (conservative direction) rather than in planning on how to improve their group work (progressive direction); (4) used mainly their own markers to reflect on action, with an increase in the use of their partners' markers in the second reflection reports; (5) reflected mainly on their partner in the first reflection reports and more on themselves in the second reports to justify themselves and to express their satisfaction.